Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-27
DIR. GARDENERS CASE.
,roursT Held UPON THE BODY OF
RRs. LoIH YESTERDAY
verdict Of Death Probably from Opium
Poisoning Arrest Of
Gardner,


residing al No. 30i west Main street.
died under circumstances pointing TO.
morphinc-poisoning She was suffer
ing great pains in the stomach and
head on the evening before, and the
auodvnc was administered hypodcr-
mically Nv Or. Charles "a. Gardner.
Deceased was a lady OF estimable
character, and Il las been very painful
10 her husband and family that this
matter has been given any noiouoty at
all Int inasmuch IS grave doubts were
fGtlv those in possession of the iects
as io whether DIR. Gardner was sober
at f,c time. the Police Justice, IN the
interest Of public Justice, requested
Al Coroner "a investigate the case.
m only way that he could do that
". Us Do>f-moricn and an inquest
TN former Was made yesterday mora
inr the latter took place ycsteri'y ai-
tVroOn.
1hc membranes Of the brain were
found slightly congcstcd not an I'M
nsual thing IN opium-poisoning and
nothing that could be seen went TO
show that in The short period OF her III
ness death could have been the result
Of natural causes. No traces OF the
morphine could be discovered. nor was
II expected that it would be, as soon
after death an undertaken mad injected
chemicals into the body 60 embalm It,
Che condition of the pupils Of the
cy,, indicated the effects of the NOR
ph'uc
Fy the request OF the family the re-
polt. r., were not allowed to be present
Wl.u the evidence was taken. bu, the
following are the important points as
Cotton from the official record :
DAUGHTER or DECEASED.
l2ian Gray 10th, fourteen-year-old
DAUGHTER of deceased, was the first wit
p,.. She said that she was present
mani If the time when her mother was
.icl hast Wednesday evening; she com
nl.ir.J Of h,r stomach ] did not hear
her complain Of her head she took
somc vhi,kcy. either ten or twenty
cent, worth: ] DO not know the guam
tjtv. DR. Charles X. Gardner came TO
80 her twicc-Once i'm the evening and
once at night / was holding
mothers head when he came the
fr.t time: | did not sec him
si.c her any medicine ! saw him put
two little bottles in the window. One
had white medicine, the other dark.
He also had little knife in bis hand.
/ did not see him take any medicine
from the bottles. Mother said she did
not wish to take morphine. l told the
Doctor she had been taking whiskcy,
and be- had better not give her any
morphine. Shctook the whiskey before
dalh.
ANOTHER DAUGHTER.
Nav 10th, aged twelve, was next
IN, stoned. She was with her mother
iaA Wednesday evening, but had not
se,n Or. Gardner give her any mcdi-
cine. She saw n bottle Of white medi-
Gin, on the bureau, but did not know
IL belonged to the Doctor. She got
tWCntv cents worth of medicine for
her mothcr-ten cents worth from Mr..
Iar,r and ten cents worth from Mr..
Mc(ay. Her mother took all of the
first and then sent for more. Her
mother asked the Doctor not to give her
an, morphine; did not hear the Doctor
mulc any reply.
MISS FISHER.
Mis-, Eliza Z. Fisher, who lives two
doors from the Loths, next testified.
She said / was with Mrs. 10th last
Wednesday evening from about twenty
minutes 10 6o'clock till about g. She
Coanplaincd Of violent pain in the
stomach and also of headache. She
was not delirious and not unconscious.
When / left her at 3 o'clock she was
conscious, and begged me not to go.
She Was then somewhat drowsy, but
could be reused without difficulty.
She did not go fully asleep while ! was
there. / saw Dr. Gardner there.
/ saw him give medicine. l
saw him take stopper ont
OF "a bottle. ! did not see him take any
medicine ont Of the bottle. 1 saw the
Doctor give hcra hypodermic injection.
He sid it was chloral. That was about
fifteen or twenty minutes after my ari-
val saw him give another one about
hall Fam hour afterwards, bat can't be
accurate as 10 time. didn't see where
hc got that from. ] think the bottle
was only two inches or little more
iigh and about the size OF my little
finger. and think had "a darkish sub
stance ina it, think / remained about
"a hall hour after the last injection. !
did not see any knife in the Doctors
hand. went away at s o'clock and re-
turned no o. She was then entirely
unconscious, and looked "a ii she WAS
diving; she could not be reused. Be
for left tie first time l think that
Dr. Gardner acted as If sober; on my
return thought ne acted as if not So
Der. \ few minutes after the second
injection | heard Mrs. 10th tell the
Doctor that she felt very strangely and
as If she was sinking, and asked him II
ne Was sure hc had not given her too
much morphine He replied he was
sure he had not lie had told her the
second injection was morphine. She
said Size was going to die but l had
heard her say so on other occasions.
On being recalled Miss Fisher added
Mrs. 10th said to Dr. Gardner, in re-
ply to his question, that she had taken
about two tablespoonsful of whiskey.
didn't say that she had taken 20 cents
worth. She said that she had taken
the whiskey because she was suffering
80 much pain.
TIE HUSBAND.
William J. 10th, husband of deA
ceased. was next sworn, and testified as
follows On the afternoon of my wlfes
sickness Dr. Gardner told me that he
had given her chloral and bromide ana
half grain of morphine. think
that was about T o'clock. / take 1t for
granted that both injections had then
been given, but am not sure OF II, as l
was not in the room constantly after
nv arrival. As far as noticed l judged
the Doctor was at that time sober. Alter
supper ] returned TO my room about
7:j5 and sat down 10 read the paper,
nv wife Was then on the bed, gong OIL
into a sort of doze. In about ten or
fifteen minutes my daughter called my
attention to her mother. / found ner